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Saturday, June 30, 2012

Groundhog Day

Thanks to the fact that my kids are obsessed with catching
crawfish in the creek, I feel like I’m in the movie Groundhog Day. It seems
like I’m writing the same things over and over again. I may end up taking a
break from blogging this week (especially since I’m taking a running break) so
that it doesn’t seem so monotonous.

That said, I bet you can’t guess what the boys and I did
today...

This time I let them bring a friend. They asked if they
could bring Brendan, and I said sure, but let me take a shower first. When I
got out of the shower, Noah told me that he called and talked to Brendan’s mom,
and told her that we’d pick Brendan up in a few minutes. I didn’t even know
that he knew their phone number! Hahaha, so I threw on some clothes and we headed out.

I brought the boys to the creek and Listening to the boys talk was cracking me up. I was sitting in a lawn chair watching them play, and they were having conversations with each other. At one point, Brendan (7) said to Eli, "I know what you mean, I feel your pain, Eli, I feel your pain." Bahahaha! A couple of times, I heard Noah say, "O-M-G!" I know for a fact that he didn't learn that from me!

I wished I had a book to
read or something. All I had with me was my iPhone, and I got bored with that
quickly. However, I AM getting caught up on my Google Reader. I’ve been about a
month behind on everyone’s blogs, and even though I was reading a little every
day, it wasn’t enough to catch up.

Right now, I am only about a week behind. I hope
to get it all cleared out within another week or so. I’m kind of bummed that I missed
so many cool giveaways! By the time I read about each giveaway, it was over—by about
3 weeks, lol.

Tonight we are going out in the boat with my parents to watch the fireworks show put on at the Metropark. Every year, for as long as I can remember, we've gone on the boat for the fourth of July fireworks show. I can't say I enjoy it, but I know that the kids love it, so that's why we go. I am just not an outdoors-person in the slightest. My brothers sucked up every last ounce of that gene.

I really need to come up with plans to keep myself busy all week. I know that I don't run for hours on end each day, but it takes up a good chunk of my morning--between dressing to run, then actually doing it, and following it with a shower and getting dressed, it takes 2-3 hours. Since I'm taking the week off of running, in the hopes of healing my knee, my days are going to seem very long. Especially if they only consist of taking the kids to the creek!

I supposed I could be productive and get my house uber clean... but that's no fun! I really want a good book to read, but I'm at a loss. I've started and stopped dozens of books this year, and haven't gotten interested in any. Yes, that includes the 50 Shades series... I'm probably the only person on the planet who thought it was lame and didn't even finish the first book. It's not that I'm a prude, either--I love a good smut book! ;)

I have a couple of books on request at the library, but I'm third in line, so it will be a while. Any suggestions? I like easy-to-read fiction novels, as well as memoirs. On second thought, maybe I should just give up on books and work on clearing out my Google Reader first!

59 comments:

I had just been thinking - why didn't she bring a book? I just love it when my kids are busy and I can read! I read really fast (about 3 - 4 novels a week) so I get everything from the library. This week I read 2 books by author Dee Davis - a Match Made on Madison and Set up in Soho.

I am sure you can download a bunch of books (free) onto your phone as well.

I ran once in the last 2 weeks and it's making me crazy - with the kids off school and no treadmill I am stuck. My plan of getting up at 6 am to run before hubby goes to work is not working!

The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon...my favorite of all time! I am currently re-reading them all in audiobook form! They are a mix of history, romance, and time travel. They take place mainly in the 18th century, in Scotland...and then later in colonial America. They are super addicting, I can't get enough of Jamie Fraser! :)

I just finished the hunger games book 1 and it was a great read. The story is from the point of view of the main character, so the read was really easy. The story just really grabs you. It's somewhat scary because it seems our society unchecked in time could turn to something as scary as the capitol which is featured in the book- with how people oogle over reality shows, and find entertainment in sometimes very sad and sick things. It's a good look at what a society could be capable of. I recommend it.

I'm super duper behind on my reading and kinda went into a funk for a few months but love reading lists. I read The Red Tent while pregnant with my 3rd child and even used Asher in his name led to it by the book and my faith as I was looking for a biblical name to go with a non. Our family uses biblical or family names somewhere in each name. I got totally into that book!

A great memoir read is The Glass Castle. It's been on NY Times Best Seller for over a year. Check it out on Amazon if you haven't already read it: http://www.amazon.com/The-Glass-Castle-A-Memoir/dp/074324754X

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness is a great read. Any of the books by JR Ward (if you like smut). The Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris are quick and semi smutty (much less than the show TrueBlood). http://www.shelfari.com/brndygrl98 if you wants some ideas :)

Katie, this is so up my alley! I love memoirs, and I especially love ones about athletes as they conquer some big challenge. Brian Boyle and Matt Long have incredible stories. I also liked Ultra Marathon Man by Dean Karnazes. I'm currently reading Eat and Run by Scott Jurek, and you might like that one because he is an ultra-runner who is vegan, so it has a lot about vegetarian fuel and recipes for runners. As far as fiction, I love love love Francine Rivers and Liza Palmer. Hope these are good suggestions - Have fun!

I second the Janet Evanovich books especially the Stephanie Plum series. These books are easy quick reads and usually funny I am reading The Help right now and it is really good. I have also recently read Water for Elephants and thought it was really good. You might try getting the kindle app you can finds lots of free books on amazon and some libraries even let you borrow digital books now.

I second the Glass Castle...picked it up in an airport on a whim, and loved it. Lets Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson is pretty popular right now (www.thebloggess.com) and that was a cute read.

Also, you're not the only one who thought 50 Shades was lame...I forced myself to read all 3 books - luckily borrowed so I didn't waste money on them!

'The Long Run' by Matt Long was awe-inspiring. Loved 'The Hunger Games' series. Love anything by Kristin Hannah and some of Jodi Piccoult. My library has great summer reading clubs for all ages and I have my eye on a breakfast basket with an industrial-sized bag of pancake mix in it!

I have a 10 year old who wanted to read Harry Potter, so I read it first to make sure it was appropriate and not too scary. Anyway, I got sucked in and read the whole series. It was great. (He's only read 2 of them...they *are* a little scary for some kids.)

I also read the Percy Jackson Series so now I am ready to discuss it with him. He likes when he has someone to talk about books with. He's getting ready to start the series.

I enjoy adventure / mystery books and both of these series fit the bill. Since they are aimed at middle school kids they were not hard to read and very entertaining.

Have you read any Anne Patchett? Bel Canto is my favorite book of all time. I also really loved Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese but it's a long one. It's not a hard read, and one of the best books I've ever read. As for memoirs, I just read chef Gabrielle Hamilton's memoir Blood, Bones and Butter. The way she writes about food is incredible. She says she wanted to create a restaurant with food people want to eat when they are ACTUALLY hungry (not fancy, conceptual stuff). I love that about her. One last recommendation, I was just talking to a friend about Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. I loved that book when it came out years ago and I got momentarily obsessed with Mt. Everest. Also, his Under the Banner of Heaven is really good. Happy reading!

Jennifer......I think Cutting for Stone may be my favorite book ever! I've read State of Wonder by Ann Patchett and Into Thin Air. I've heard of Bel Canto and will look for it now from your recommendation as well as Blood, Bones & Butter. Thank you!

The Help by Katherine Stockett - I really couldn't put that one down, when I read it last year. If you wanna know more about it, just watch the trailer for the film (though don't watch too much of it, so you don't already know the end).

Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann - Crime Fiction where sheep are the protagonists. Definitely not too scary and so funny!

Shades of Grey by jasper Fforde - No, not the 50 shades ;) Set in a strange future world where most people can only see shades of grey. Again, one of those books that I could hardly put down.

As for memoirs, I like reading about people who've done something 'different' - in whatever respect, so I liked the following:

Child of the Jungle by Sabine Kuegler - About her childhood growing up in the jungle in Papua NewGuinea (being the child of a German scientist).

Kiharu by Kiharu Nakamura - The real memoirs of a Geisha.

My year of living biblically by A.J. Jacobs - Maybe not politically correct, but embarrassingly I learned a lot from his hilarious attempts to live by the bible.

Go gently through Peking/Bejing by Louis Fisher-Rouge - Her husband was one of the first journalists admitted into China in the 70s. She came with him, was not allowed to work and so had time to wander around and describe every-day life in China. My favourite memoir ever.

Hi Ulreike,I'm interested in the A.J. Jacobs book! Another blogger I like, Rachel Held Evans, attempted to live for a year following the Bible literally regarding all the different ways women are supposed to behave. Her book is called A Year of Biblical Womanhood. It sounds kind of similar! I'll definitely check your rec out.

I am reading this book called The Sugar Queen. It's easy to read, and I like the author. I read another book by her a few weeks ago, Garden Spells. I love Nora Roberts and have read a good amount of her books. Are you on goodreads? If you are and would like to add me as a friend, that would be awesome. http://www.goodreads.com/friend/i?i=LTM2MDYzNzQzOTU6MzIy I love to see what other people are reading, so I love goodreads. Lately it's been taking me forever to finish books because I end up reading several at once, and then magazines too. lol

i second a discovery of witches and the hunger games series. if you like memoirs by historical figures, mark twain's autobiography that came out in 2010 is amazing. he purposely planned for it to not be released until 100 years after his death (he died in 1910), so that he could be completely honest about people he knew, without it offending anyone. the result is an incredibly interesting and hilarious account of his life and his interactions with many other famous individuals. it's a pretty long book, but it's broken up into lots of short sections that make for easy reading. it's the perfect thing to dig into on a lazy summer day.

Book recommendations: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. The Glass Castle is so good! Quite a few people have mentioned it already. If you like mysteries, the alphabet series by Sue Grafton is fun - and she is up to 'v' now so you there are lots!

I like lots of the books your followers do! I think Cutting for Stone is my favorite. If you like books about running I loved Born to Run and Finding Ultra. If you like dog books I am in love with A Dog's Purpose and One Good Dog as well as The Art of Racing in the Rain. I just finished The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and was sad when it ended......Duma Key by Stephen King is good. Oh my......I can go on and on.

Thanks for the recap of the kid's conversation......hubby & I both had tears in our eyes from laughing!

I literally just finished reading One Good Dog ... it was really good, but I was crying the last few chapters (they're short) because I get so invested in the characters. Hahaha ... but that one is good too. My husband read the art of racing in the ran and liked that. And I just downloaded Giant George - a book about the largest dog in the world (2010 Guinness Book of World Records). Looks cute :)

You're not the only person who couldn't get thru 50 Shades. Me and another gal in my knitting group read it after all the other knitters raved about it and we both hated it. Neither of us could finish it.

I also recommend the Hunger Games and another similar series called Divergent by Veronica Roth.

Are you on Goodreads? I love that site. After rating books that you've already read, it gives you suggestions of other books you might like. There are so many books suggested that I'd never even heard of & I really liked them. Some, my library didn't have, but luckily, in our library system, you can request books be sent from other libraries.

It looks like you have some good suggestions, but have you read "Three Weeks with my Brother" by Nicholas Sparks? I remember you said you read "The Lucky One" ... at least I think you said that. Anyway, it's a memoir about Nicholas Sparks and his brother who go on a trip, but it's also about Nick Sparks life ... and where he gets the inspiration for his books. If you've read Nick Sparks books it's REALLY interesting to get the info on the inspirations. ALSO, "The Guardian" by Nicholas Sparks is good. Not a typical sappy Nick Sparks book, but it's one of my favorites.

Ugh, 50 Shades of Grey was awful ... I HATED the first book, but I made myself read the rest because I hate not knowing the story. I felt like I could've written the books ... oh well. If it's turned into a movie (or mini series) it should be fun to watch. ;)

I have been reading your blog for months and you are such an inspiration, that I have started my own blog. I am new to all of this but here is my page http://healthyingradschool.blogspot.com/I am looking for any kind of support I could get. Keep up the amazing work and know you are inspiring people every day!

Recently read "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by Jamie Ford, a fictional novel based on historical events in Seattle area during WWII, very interesting/entertaining. Also loved "Nothing to Envy - Ordinary Lives in North Korea" by Barbara Demick, this is not fiction, and by the title I wouldn't have thought I'd be interested. But it was truly fascinating and amazing what these people have gone through, and still go through. Highly recommend!

Did you read The Hunger Games books? If you liked them, you will probably like the Divergent books! There are 2 now, Divergent and Insurgent, and they held my attention. I like fiction series books, and the Friday Night Knitting Club books are cute. And I'm always a Jodi Picoult fan :)

Ugh - I HATE the fifty shades books! Well, the first half of the first one at least :) I can't bring myself to finish it. She is not a good writer. Blech!I agree with a previous poster that you should check out goodreads. It's fun to write out reviews of the books you've read, but it's also a great spot to find new books. I get emails of new releases and suggested reads. With Borders gone it's the only book shopping I do now. I'm a big fan of Jasper Fforde - he's got two series that are based on book/fairytale characters. He's a very witty writer.

I also did not like the Fifty Shades book. I got bored super fast. I don't know how you feel about paranormal books, but Debora Geary has written 4 books in a series, and a trilogy offshoot that I absolutely love. She is a self published author, and her books are super cheap on Kindle. They are seriously the best books I have ever read. They are about witches, but they are so warm, and happy, and give you this incredible sense of family. It is heartwrenching when you finish the book because you know you will have to wait for the next one. They are just incredible. Between the series and the trilogy, there are 7 books out right now, enough to keep you busy for a little while at least!

I'm not a "reader" by any means....I go in phases. I go crazy reading books for a while, then I won't read for a year or so. I'm trying to change that though because I find that my mind stays fresh when I'm reading. My all time favorite author is Jennifer Weiner. Love, Love, Love her books. I'm actually getting ready to do a blog post on books so i'll let you know when I do!

I'd love to hear from you! I read all of my comments, and if you have a question, I do my best to respond; sometimes, however, I get busy and forget to go back to reply, so if it's important, just email me! :)

Weight Stats

RUNNING

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Current Running Schedule

Mon- rest

Tue- Speed work

Wed- Easy run

Thu- rest

Fri- Easy run

Sat- Easy run

Sun- Long run

After training hard and running my best 10K this year, I am taking it easy through the summer. I run following the 80/20 Running ratio. For my easy runs, I use a heart rate monitor to keep my heart rate in the "easy" zone.

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